Improvement in horse-powers



ZSheetsSheetl, W. H. BUTTERWORTH.

HORSE-POWER. No.171,094. Patented Dec. 14, 1875.

N-PEIERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

2Sheets-Sheet2. W. H. BUTTERWORTH.

HORSE-POWER. 1 No.171,094. Patented Dec. 14, 1875.

Fly. 2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIon WILLIAM H. BUTTERWORTH, OF TRENTON, NEWJERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT lN HORSE-POWERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,094, dated December14, 1875; application filed August 11, 1&75.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BUTTER- WORTH, of Trenton, in the countyof Mercer and in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Horse-Powers; and do hereby declare that thefollowing -is a full, clear, and exact de scription thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of horsepowers known as endless-chainor railway horse-powers; and it consists, first, in the peculiarconstruction and arrangement of the curved portion of the track, wherebynot only a very minute and perfect adjustment to the length of theendless chain is obtained, but also the serious difficulty heretoforeencountered in this class of horse-powers in the performance of thisfunction is entirely overcome; second, in the construction of the linkswhich compose the endless chain, whereby great durability and strengthare increased with but very little additional weight or expense; third,in the arrangement of the guard-plates for holding the links of theendless chain in gear with the pinions on the main shaft, whereby thesaid guardplates are made adjustable to compensate for wear orshrinkage, and the manner of applying the same to the side of thehorse-power, so that it can be adjusted to suit the belt when thehorse-power is set at difl'erent inclinations; fourth, in the peculiarconstruction of the brake-trip; fifth, in the construction of anindicator for the purpose of pointing or indicating the degrees ofelevation at which the horse-power sets.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a horse-power embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the opposite side of my improvedhorse-power. Figs. 3 and 4 are detached views of certain parts thereof.

In constructing my horse-power I make a frame in the usual manner. Ateach side of this frame is placed the railway or track A A,

on which the wheels B of the endless chain roll. The curved portions 0of the track are made adjustable, so as to compensate for wear of theendless chain.

The construction and manner of adjusting this portion of the trackenable the operator to keep the endless chain at the proper tension atall times, which have heretofore been the serious diificulty and greatobjection to this class of horse-powers.

This curved section 0 has an axis on a plane with the track A, and isconstructed with a projecting are, D, concentric with its axis. Thisfeature allows the curved section to be moved on its axis withoutaltering the relative distance between the projecting arc D and thetrack A, and on account of the axis being placed on a plane with thetrack A the curved section can be adjusted without causing an opening oraperture between the curved section and the track A.

The rod 0 is for the purpose of facilitating the adjustment of thecurved section G, and the bolts f f are for the purpose of securing thesaid section after being adjusted to the length of the chain.

It is obvious that this curved section 0 can be applied to either end ofthe horse-power, and will also perform the same functions if used in aninverted position.

The endless chain is composed of a series of links, E, having cogs ontheir under side, and suitable openings or mortises to receive the lugsF. These links are coupled together by means of rods G, which extendthrough the links and receive the wheels B.

The construction of the links E is of such a form that the durability ofboth the rods G and links E is materially increased with but very littleadditional weight or expense.

It will be observed that each link is provided with bosses orprojections h h, through which the rods G extend. These bosses are caston and project from the sides of said links. The application of thesebosses h h to the links not only adds to their durability, but also addsgreatly to the durability of the rods G, thereby causing the endlesschain to run with a steady and more uniform tension than heretofore.

The ends of the rods G, on which the wheels B revolve, are turnedsmaller than the main ,part of the rods, so as to allow the ends of saidrods to pass through the counter-bore of the wheels B, and also to forma shoulder on the rods, to prevent them from too much endwise movementwhen in operation.

By this arrangement of counterboring the wheels B and constructing therods as above mentioned, I obtain the following very important andbeneficial results, viz: A very superior and efficient mode of oilingthe wheels and rods, preventing the escape of oil at the ends of thewheels, excluding dust anddirt from the bearings, and keeping the rodsin their proper position when in motion.

The manner of applying oil to the inside of the wheels B is to push therods G or withdraw the wheels B until the small ends of the rods are outof the counterbored parts of the wheels; then the oil can be applied,after which the rods or wheels are returned to their former position,and serve to prevent the escape of oil or the entrance of dust at theends of the wheels B. This arrangement insures a perfect lubrication ofthese parts, very materially lessens the friction, adds greatly to thedurability of the horse-power, and also prevents the rods from havingtoo much endwise movement when in operation.

The wheels B are placed loosely on the ends of the rods G, and areprevented from running off the same by the construction of the track,which is made L-shaped, the vertical parts of the track keeping thewheels in position, while they are sufficiently removed from the wheelsto allow of endwise movement to oil or lubricate the parts without thewheels coming entirely off from the rods.

The links E of the endless chain are held in gear with .the pinions JJon the main shaft by means of the adjustable plates L L,

which are made adjustable to compensate for wear and shrinkage. Theplates are adjusted by means of set-screws m m, and are held in place,when adjusted, by means of bolts pp.

The brake-tip consists of the angular plate a and bent arm 00. This bentarm is pivoted to the angular plate a, and is held in a horizontalposition by means of the brake being hung on its inner end. Theconstruction of the angular plate a admits of it being applied to eitherside of the horse-power. This braketip is attached to the side of thehorse-power by means of the bolt q, and is made adjustable to suit thedifferent positions of the main belt by means of the series of holes 8 sto receive the bolt q.

To the side of the horse-power is attached an indicator, for showing theelevation at which the horse-power is set. It consists of the pointer72, graduated curved. plate 0, and the protector or shield d.

The pointer b is suspended loosely from a screw or pivot in the side ofthe horse-power, and when the front end of the horse-power is elevated,this pointer retains its perpendicular position, and indicates, byreference to the figures and marks on the curved plate 0, the number ofdegrees of elevation at which the horse-power sits. The shield 01 is forthe purpose of protecting the pointer b and preventing too much sidemovement of the same.

A portion, P, of the sides of the horsepower is movable, to allowreplacement of broken or worn-out parts of the endless chain without thenecessity of removing the entire side. Thispart ot' myinvention consistsin the manner of holding the said movable portion in position, and isaccomplished by the peculiar construction of the plates 9 g and thebeveled end of the movable portion P. It will be observed that theplates 9, whic are attached to the movable portion P, are provided withslotted holes t', through which the bolts 12 pass. These slots are forthe purpose of allowing the removal of the portion P from the sidewithout the necessity of re moving the bolts 11. The ends of the movableportion P are beveled, and titin acorrespond- 3. The combination. withthe links E, rods I G, and wheels B, of the adjustable plates L,arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

4. The combination, with the frame-post having a series of perforations,s, of the angular plate u, having bentarm a: pivoted thereto, and saidplate adjusted up or down within the post for holding the brake-lever tosuit the different positions of the main belt, as set forth.

5. The indicator consisting of the pointer I), graduated plate 0, andthe protector or shield d, all constructed and arranged to operatesubstantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

6. The combination, in a horse-power, of the counter-bored wheels B, therods Gr, turned to correspond with said counter-bores, and the L-shapedtrack A A, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 9th day of August, 1875.

WILLIAM H. BUTTERWORTH.

Witnesses:

LEE (J. MOORE, J OHN THINES.

